by Jess Hix

If you’ve recently received an email from AJLI regarding the AJLI 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge and are unsure of what it is or what to expect, I hope this article can provide some clarity and inspiration.

In June 2020, I participated in the AJLI 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, completely unaware of what I was getting myself into. My goal when entering the challenge was simple: “Educate myself on the issues of racial equity, so I can become a better advocate and ally to a community that desperately needs our attention and help.” But what I got out of the challenge was so much greater than that.

The AJLI 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge in some ways is exactly what it sounds like: a 3-week challenge in which participants are educated on dozens of topics regarding racial equity and systemic racism in our country. The aim of this challenge is to inspire women in the Junior League around the country to learn more about the issues so we can be more actionable within our leagues as well as in our personal and professional lives. Each day, AJLI emails out a topic with articles and videos that provide knowledge and perspective on that particular topic. Topics range from white privilege to the racial wealth gap, from the history of anti-blackness in America to the current problems of indigenous people in our country. The challenge does a wonderful job in highlighting the struggles of a wide range of minorities in our country as well as other groups that struggle with prejudice and oppression. While the challenge often focuses on topics that pertain specifically to Black Americans, I was grateful to be able to learn about the struggles of Indigenous peoples and women during the challenge as well.

During the challenge, each participant is assigned to a discussion group with 4 or 5 other women from different Junior League chapters across the country to meet virtually each day and discuss the topics assigned in the emails. Then, every week, AJLI hosts a larger meeting with all the challenge participants to reflect on the week’s readings and discuss actionable items for the future. This is a very incredible, albeit nerve wracking addition to the challenge. One of the most difficult aspects of participating in this is how introspective and vulnerable it requires us to be. To connect with women we’ve never met before and have real conversations with them about topics that in many ways make us extremely uncomfortable. But to understand that there are millions of people in our country who deal with this uncomfortability and vulnerability on a daily basis and therefore truly understand empathy. Allowing myself to reflect on past experiences I’ve had and understand how those experiences have either opposed or contributed to this systemic problem in our country really incentivized me to change my mindset and focus on how I can become a better ally each and every day.

I think one of the main things I can offer you in (hopefully) inspiring you to participate in this challenge is transparency. This is exactly what it claims to be: a challenge. I will not sit here and tell you that it was easy or that it didn’t take up a portion of my day. Reading the articles would take me between 30-45 minutes to read, and meetings with my group would last the same amount of time as well. It was difficult to commit to the time, and while there was always flexibility and my group was always understanding if I couldn’t make one of the daily meetings, in my heart I knew it was imperative that the challenge needed to be a priority in my life for those 3 weeks. Having said that, the outcome was far worth the time and effort it took me to complete the challenge. The amount of knowledge I gained in that 3-week period still astounds me. Even months after I’ve finished, I find myself seeking out more information, sharing the articles and videos with people I love. This challenge has inspired me to continue learning, to keep reaching out and finding new ways to advocate for equality for all. I hope that by sharing my experience with you, it will inspire some of you to sign up for the upcoming challenges AJLI is offering.